Pope Francis is seen Sunday during the Lenten retreat for the Roman Curia in Ariccia, Italy. Wednesday 13 March marks the 6th anniversary of his election as pope. (photo: CNS/Vatican Media)

Curia officials celebrate anniversary of pope’s election(Vatican News) Some 65 officials of the Roman Curia who are on their annual Lenten spiritual exercises along with Pope Francis, Wednesday morning greeted the Holy Father on the 6th anniversary of his election as the head of the Roman Catholic Church…

Thousands surrender as ISIS group nears defeat in Syria(France 24) Around 3,000 Islamic State members have surrendered from the group’s last holdout in Syria, Kurdish-led forces said Tuesday, as air raids and shelling resumed after a brief lull.A ragged tent encampment in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz is all that remains of a once-sprawling IS group’s “caliphate” declared in 2014 across large swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq…

In Ethiopia, deep grief for crash victims(Al Jazeera) Some 50 people sat in tense silence underneath a white tent outside a gated house on the southern outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital. The women were dressed in plain mourning black; the men mostly in white.But the lull did not last long. A chorus of loud wails soon pierced the air, as the women started rocking back and forth, their hands covering their faces. Nearby, the men stared blankly at the concrete floor…

Catholics attack Indian bishop in land dispute(UCANews.com) A Catholic bishop had to be hospitalized after a group of parishioners attacked him, a security guard and a priest in a five-decade-old land dispute in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Salesian Bishop Jerome Dhas Varuvel of Kuzhithurai left hospital on 12 March two days after he was attacked by a crowd of about 130 Catholic men and women. The guard remains in hospital after suffering serious injuries in his attempt to protect the bishop, diocesan chancellor Father Russel Raj told ucanews.com. The Rev. Augustine Ponnaian, the diocesan financial administrator, only suffered minor injuries and was not hospitalized…

Israel seeks to quell Temple Mount tensions(Haaretz) Despite the hurling of a firebomb at a police position and the forces’ subsequent decision to close all entrances to the Temple Mount, what was most apparent in Jerusalem on Tuesday was the joint effort to contain the conflict. Israel, with Jordanian assistance, seeks to prevent a flare-up at the Jerusalem site, partly in light of the latest events in the Gaza Strip…